I am Crazy for this book!
I had hoped it would be a story about the extraordinary strength of kids. It was!
I had hoped it would be a record of the deep love between a father and son. It was!
I had hoped it would be uplifting and... it was!
I had hoped it would be a book that would captivate the imagination and appreciation of boys and girls. It will!
BUT... Perhaps not in the way I had hoped.
For the adult, this is a "do not miss". Unfortunately, although the childhood of Mr. Ollestad was amazing and fantastic in many ways, in others, it is the childhood of 1970's beach bum California. Free lovin' and well, free. TMI (too much information) for the young adult. And, while I don't think these gems of memory serve the story itself, it does speak to the context of the childhood experience for the author.
The book flips back and forth each chapter between the plane crash and subsequent hairy hours and the memories of childhood. It is absolutely shocking each time I realize the kid is 11. Years old. And the father I was prepared to dislike I ended up thinking might have some parenting pointers. Crazy.
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